What's it like to live in Chapala and Ajijic, Mexico? How’s the lifestyle?
Magy Carmona - Magy Carmona at Lake Chapala Realty
The lifestyle in Chapala and Ajijic is very relaxed- it’s lovely. Chapala has a different pace- it’s where you recover the capacity of contemplation. You have free time because everything in Ajijic and Chapala closes early. The people in Chapala and Ajijic are happy, and some people come here to get a new life after working their whole life. The people who come to Chapala and Ajijic are retired, and now they know what they really want- to be happy. They come to Ajijic to...
The lifestyle in Chapala and Ajijic is very relaxed- it’s lovely. Chapala has a different pace- it’s where you recover the capacity of contemplation. You have free time because everything in Ajijic and Chapala closes early. The people in Chapala and Ajijic are happy, and some people come here to get a new life after working their whole life. The people who come to Chapala and Ajijic are retired, and now they know what they really want- to be happy. They come to Ajijic to relax and to have fun. You may see people exercising, having fun, and going out.
I like it here. In Chapala, I feel like I’m always living in the holidays, even though I’m a hard worker. I wish my parents from the city could come to Ajijic and live here.
(View of the Chula Vista Golf Course from a home's second story loft, Lake Chapala, Mexico, pictured.)
The streets in the Island of Amergris Caye are too narrow for buses. While there are no buses, you can still catch a taxi if you need to go to a distant destination within the Island. You can also rent a golf cart for a couple of hours or for the day.
The closest thing to buses on the island are the water taxis mainly run by the Belize Coastal Express. The Belize Coastal Express has daily scheduled boats going north of the island. It makes stops at popular...
The streets in the Island of Amergris Caye are too narrow for buses. While there are no buses, you can still catch a taxi if you need to go to a distant destination within the Island. You can also rent a golf cart for a couple of hours or for the day.
The closest thing to buses on the island are the water taxis mainly run by the Belize Coastal Express. The Belize Coastal Express has daily scheduled boats going north of the island. It makes stops at popular resorts, restaurants and private docks such as the Palapa Bar, Grand Caribe, and Captain Morgan's among many others. They also provide courier services to these places, which I've recently found out to be very convenient.
(T-shirt from the Palapa Bar and Grill, San Juan, Ambergris Caye, Belize, pictured.)
What is Nicaragua's economic system? More free market, capitalistic, socialist, etc.?
Daniel Snider - Snider's Realty Nicaragua
Nicaragua is a capitalistic, free market system that wants to incentive growth through capitalistic models via investments, financing, and being able to create value out of that. With the new incentives that the government offers, businesses are able to build infrastructure and do business.
Traditionally, the economy of Nicaragua is focused primarily on agriculture, which is the number one economic output of the country. Tourism and trade are also...
Nicaragua is a capitalistic, free market system that wants to incentive growth through capitalistic models via investments, financing, and being able to create value out of that. With the new incentives that the government offers, businesses are able to build infrastructure and do business.
Traditionally, the economy of Nicaragua is focused primarily on agriculture, which is the number one economic output of the country. Tourism and trade are also growing quite quickly in Nicaragua. In April 2006, the US-Central American Free Trade went into effect and that helped dramatically in industries like textile, leather, and other Nicaraguan goods. Nicaragua can now produce in larger volumes because of the free trade agreement.
My family has had a business in Nicaragua for over a century. My father has had a business here in Nicaragua for the past 19 years selling real estate and has been very successful at it. 19 years ago, he came in as a pioneer and had an important role in helping develop several beach communities here in Nicaragua, such as Rancho Santana, Iguana Beach and Golf Club, and Guacalito, among other,s so we have seen these grow over the years.
As far as being an expat coming into a different country to start a business, it turned out well for my father. We are not going anywhere else right now. We don’t have to worry about the government expropriating our properties and just take them from us.
I am actually more worried if bigger external economies like China or the US tank. That worries me more than Nicaraguan expropriation because things like tourism in Nicaragua are highly dependent on the US economy and how it is functioning at any moment. Although, my gut feeling and what I have been hearing from clients is that if the economy of the US, for some reason, tanks, they are all going to come down here to Nicaragua. So it might even be a good thing for us here in Nicaragua because there will be a huge influx of expats trying to get out of the US if it happens.
You can hire a gardener in Portugal in different ways. You may get a full time gardener, 8 hours a day and 5 days a week, or you can have them come over to your house on a monthly basis. The minimum wage for a full time a gardener is US $432 (£287) to $649 (£431) a month. If you are hiring a full time gardener, you have to pay for their Social Security and other benefits.
If you do outsourcing, you can hire a gardener or a maintenance man, who will come in 2 days a...
You can hire a gardener in Portugal in different ways. You may get a full time gardener, 8 hours a day and 5 days a week, or you can have them come over to your house on a monthly basis. The minimum wage for a full time a gardener is US $432 (£287) to $649 (£431) a month. If you are hiring a full time gardener, you have to pay for their Social Security and other benefits.
If you do outsourcing, you can hire a gardener or a maintenance man, who will come in 2 days a week or once a week and you don’t have to pay for the Social Security or have any type of contract with them. They just come and cut your grass, tidy up the garden, etc. Their wage varies, but the minimum is $216 (£144) a month.
The average daily wage or a gardener here is €60 (US$ 65 or £43) a day.
(House covered with vines in the Azores, Portugal, pictured.)
How bad are the mosquitoes and other bugs and insects in Panama?
Karyn Saunders
Let's put it this way. I have more issues with mosquitoes and any biting flying insect in Toronto in July than I do all year in Panama. The mosquitoes come out at dusk and will hang around until about 8 pm. They breed in standing water. No standing water around your house and you will have no mosquitoes. In the dry season the winds take care of the flying pests and you will virtually have no mosquitoes from December through to April.
Let's put it this way. I have more issues with mosquitoes and any biting flying insect in Toronto in July than I do all year in Panama. The mosquitoes come out at dusk and will hang around until about 8 pm. They breed in standing water. No standing water around your house and you will have no mosquitoes. In the dry season the winds take care of the flying pests and you will virtually have no mosquitoes from December through to April.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of having a second passport?
Ian Usher - House Sitting Magazine
I believe there are many advantages to having a second passport, but few, if any, disadvantages. I've had two passports for over seven years now.
I was born in England, and through marriage I ended up living in Australia, where I became a citizen and received a second passport and dual nationality.
Since leaving Australia in 2008 I have traveled extensively and always carry both passports with me.
I discovered one of...
I believe there are many advantages to having a second passport, but few, if any, disadvantages. I've had two passports for over seven years now.
I was born in England, and through marriage I ended up living in Australia, where I became a citizen and received a second passport and dual nationality.
Since leaving Australia in 2008 I have traveled extensively and always carry both passports with me.
I discovered one of the great advantages to having a second passport when traveling through South America with a friend from the States. Each South American country charges for an entry visa a fee equivalent to that charged for it's own citizens when traveling in the other direction.
So, for example, entering Argentina the cost might be $40 for a citizen of the UK, $0 for an Australian, and $125 for a person carrying a US passport. Obviously I'd decide I was Australian at the Argentinean border.
On our journey this became a bit of a standing joke. "Oh, free for me if I'm English coming into Brazil. How much for you Val? $125 again? Oh dear!" I didn't pay one cent in visa fees in South America by chopping and changing my citizenship as appropriate. My friend shelled out over $500. I'd say my second passport certainly paid for itself on that trip.
Of course there are all the other advantages too. I can choose to live and work in either location. I have the freedom to go and live elsewhere if a country becomes intolerable for political or financial reasons, or for any other reason at all.
I can also choose where I live for tax purposes, and to whom I report my income. I believe this isn't a luxury afforded to holders of a US passport, who have to report all income, no matter from where it is sourced, and where they are living.
Disadvantages? The only one that comes to mind is that on occasion I am asked a few pointed questions at borders, particularly the US. If I fly from England, obviously I leave as a UK citizen, but I have to arrive in the US as an Australian, as my Australian passport carries the electronic authorization that the US insists I have to pay for every few years.
With my Australian passport showing no evidence of where I have been just before arriving at their border sometimes results in an invite into a small office. Producing the second passport usually clears the issue pretty quickly.
However, I have had quite a few amusing border incidents, and have written about them at length in my latest book, "Paradise Delayed".
If you have the opportunity to get a second passport, I'd highly recommend it, just for the extra options it gives you.
If you’re like me, you’ve got a song in your head pretty much all the time. Sometimes, you know why it’s there, and sometimes, you don’t. Sometimes, you don’t even know where you heard the song.
That’s exactly what happened to me towards the end of our stay in the Ajijic area, as I was walking back from the corner store with some pastries. If you’ve read my first two stories on Ajijic and the Lake Chapala area, you know...
Welcome to Boquete. This charming town has changed a little and a lot in the last four years. We have watched as the economy has improved for the community. A great deal is based on tourism and the influx of expats. There has also been a worldwide increase in the higher-end coffees that grow in the mountains that tower over the towns of both Boquete and Volcan. Many small businesses have come and gone in the last four years. Growth is evident as the high school is currently...
Another sunny and breezy day. It´s late in the day and I´m just now ready for lunch, waiting for my grilled tuna sandwich with a tall glass of fresh squeezed pineapple juice! After all, this is the famous “Tuna Coast” of Pacific Panama.
I certainly hope those reading this information about living in Panama can arrange a trip down soon. And see for themselves the beauty of the Azuero Peninsula, the tranquility of the town of Pedasi and the...
The lifestyle in Chapala and Ajijic is very relaxed- it’s lovely. Chapala has a different pace- it’s where you recover the capacity of contemplation. You have free time because everything in Ajijic and Chapala closes early. The people in Chapala and Ajijic are happy, and some people come here to get a new life after working their whole life. The people who come to Chapala and Ajijic are retired, and now they know what they really want- to be happy. They come to Ajijic to...
The streets in the Island of Amergris Caye are too narrow for buses. While there are no buses, you can still catch a taxi if you need to go to a distant destination within the Island. You can also rent a golf cart for a couple of hours or for the day. 
Nicaragua is a capitalistic, free market system that wants to incentive growth through capitalistic models via investments, financing, and being able to create value out of that. With the new incentives that the government offers, businesses are able to build infrastructure and do business. 
You can hire a gardener in Portugal in different ways. You may get a full time gardener, 8 hours a day and 5 days a week, or you can have them come over to your house on a monthly basis. The minimum wage for a full time a gardener is US $432 (£287) to $649 (£431) a month. If you are hiring a full time gardener, you have to pay for their Social Security and other benefits.
I was born in England, and through marriage I ended up living in Australia, where I became a citizen and received a second passport and dual nationality. 
If you’re like me, you’ve got a song in your head pretty much all the time. Sometimes, you know why it’s there, and sometimes, you don’t. Sometimes, you don’t even know where you heard the song. 
has changed a little and a lot in the last four years. We have watched as the economy has improved for the community. A great deal is based on tourism and the influx of expats. There has also been a worldwide increase in the higher-end coffees that grow in the mountains that tower over the towns of both Boquete and Volcan. Many small businesses have come and gone in the last four years. Growth is evident as the high school is currently...
I´m just now ready for lunch, waiting for my grilled tuna sandwich with a tall glass of fresh squeezed pineapple juice! After all, this is the famous “Tuna Coast” of Pacific Panama. 
